Cronus

by K. A. Finn

  'I hope so. Until we can get out of here we have no idea.'

  Lucan adjusts his grip on Gryffin's arm and nods to the gloomy corridor ahead of them. 'There's a store room along this corridor. Would that have anything useful in it?'

  Roman nods, then speaks when he remembers the others can't see him, 'There'll be torches at the least.'

  'My night vision is working... sort of,' Gryffin says. 'I should be able to guide you. Head straight.'

  Following Gryffin's directions, they work their way through the rubble to the relatively clear corridor beyond. With the path clear from debris, the going is easier, but Gryffin still struggles. His feet drag along the ground, loading his immense weight on the men's shoulders.

  They get to the store room and lower Gryffin to the ground outside the door. Roman gropes around in the dark and finds the shelf housing the torches. Taking three, he turns his on and goes back outside to the others. He plays the light over Gryffin and his breath hitches. Blood is seeping from his son's nose and from a gash on his cheek. His good eye is dull and his hand is pressed to his side. Roman moves Gryffin's hand aside, uncovering a wet patch on his t-shirt. 'Lucan, can you see if there's a first aid kit in there?'

  Lucan grabs a torch from Roman and hurries inside.

  Gryffin pushes himself upright. 'I'm fine.'

  Roman laughs in spite of their situation. 'You could have a shuttle embedded in your chest and you'd still say you're fine.'

  Lucan reappears with a basic kit which he tears open and passes to Roman. 'I'll get some bits together while you patch him up.'

  Roman pulls Gryffin's t-shirt up and examines the wound finding it's not deep. He cleans as much of the dirt from it as he can then presses a thick gauze pad over it. 'That should keep you going. Any other injuries you're hiding?'

  Gryffin shakes his head. 'Is it just your eye that's hurt?' he asks as he examines Roman’s face.

  'I guess we're a matching pair now,' Roman says with a smirk. 'Are you okay to move? I'd prefer to get going while we still have the advantage.'

  'Think it'll be better if you go alone. I'll only—'

  'Now don't you even consider finishing that sentence,' Roman says. 'We get out together or not at all. Do you understand me?'

  'Terra was right.'

  Roman frowns, a little surprised by Gryffin's reply. 'About what?'

  'I get my stubbornness from you.'

  Gryffin holds out his hand for Roman to help support him. Roman smiles to himself as he struggles and eventually aids the Nomad in getting to his feet.

  Lucan reappears empty handed. 'Nothing else worth loading ourselves with. We ready to get out of here?'

  The men pause at each doorway to check for personnel who may have been left behind, but Roman is relieved to see the evacuation seems to have been a success - at least for the moment. They have no idea if the back door to the facility was breached when the Foundation attacked. Or if personnel attempted to leave and were captured. Perhaps there is an army of cyborgs lying in wait.

  'What are the odds of this exit being clear?' Gryffin mutters in between gasping breaths. Roman laughs as he readjusts his grip on Gryffin's arm. 'What the hell is so funny?'

  'I was just wondering the exact same thing.'

  'Did you come up with an answer?' They stumble as Gryffin loses his footing. 'Sorry. Damn feet won't move in the same way at the same time.'

  'Do you want to stop?'

  'No.'

  Roman nods to himself. 'Well, as for what's waiting for us. It could be a lot of trouble or a lot of nothing. Personally, I'm keeping everything crossed it's the later.'

  Gryffin grunts and continues his shuffle down the corridor. Roman doesn't have a clue how the Nomad is still upright let alone walking. This is the most exertion he's had since he was locked in the cell. The walk alone could kill him and that's before they even attempt the assent to the surface.

  They continue in silence for another ten minutes, slowly making their way deeper into the base. The further they go, the weaker Gryffin feels in his arms. He's barely able to offer any support leaving Roman and Lucan struggling under the weight of Gryffin and his implants.

  They stop in a corridor and lower Gryffin to the ground then Lucan seals the door behind them. If the cyborgs have access to the base they'll be able to open it, but it might slow them down for a few minutes. 'You catch your breath. I'll check the coast is clear.'

  Roman sits on the ground beside Gryffin and looks over at him. The High Commander’s eye is closed and his complexion is the same shade as the off-white walls. His short hair is plastered to his head and he's pressing his metal tipped elbow against his wounded side, trying to keep pressure on it. 'I want her to leave me. You know that, right?'

  Roman glances up at Gryffin's face. 'What?'

  'Terra. I never wanted her to be with me. Not like this. I tried to change her mind, but she's stubborn too.'

  'I know you only want what's best for her.'

  'And I know you're not happy about us being... whatever we are.'

  'Initially, no. I'm not over the moon about what she's facing once you...'

  'Die.'

  Roman clears his throat. 'I guess I'm trying to shield her from being hurt. After her father's death and horrific return, I probably worry about her more than I should. I know one thing for sure. I doubt she could be safer with anyone than she is with the Nomad.'

  'Her place is secure even after I go. If she wants it. I'm not going to force her to do anything she doesn't want to do. Losing battle.'

  'And what about you? Were you serious about having your mods upgraded?'

  'Yes,' he replies without hesitation. 'If it helps take down the Foundation I'll do whatever I have to. Besides, I want to be there. I want to witness the Foundation being torn limb from limb. I think I deserve that much.'

  'And more. Listen, I know this is probably the last thing you want to hear, but I have to say it now before I back out.' Gryffin doesn't try to stop him talking. Instead he turns his full attention on Roman. His son's lone purple eye locks on to his. 'I can never apologise enough for what the Foundation did to you because I did nothing to stop them.' Gryffin doesn't say anything as his eye remains focused on him. 'I know I've made countless unforgivable mistakes—'

  'Did you sell me to the Scientist and the project?'

  'What? No! I've already told you that.'

  'The Scientist told me that so many times while he had me. That's the lie that killed the idea of a family for me. And that woman, Maggie, she didn't tell you about me. That lie meant you never knew you had a family. Neither lie was our fault. Your loyalty was with the Foundation. Can't fault you for that.'

  'So you can just forgive and forget so easily?'

  'It's done. Fuck all either of us can do about any of it now.' He grunts and squeezes his eye shut.

  'You okay?'

  Gryffin nods but it's blatantly obvious he's far from okay. 'We were both screwed with.'

  Roman wants to say so much more to his son, but with thirty-five years to make up for it's a daunting task. A part of him will never forgive Maggie for keeping Gryffin from him. What right did she have to make that decision for him? But like Gryffin said, it's done. Absolutely nothing he can do about that.

  Lucan hurries back around the corner. 'Coast is clear. We probably should go before that changes.'

  Roman gets up and both men haul Gryffin to his feet. Lucan supports Gryffin while Roman moves towards the wall and opens the panel. The air beyond is damp and carries the slight smell of rust. The tunnel opens into the forest a few miles downriver from the base. They just need to make it that far. After working with the Nomad for over a year, he knows without a doubt that Ares will be hanging around to collect their Captain. It's also a certainty that Terra won't budge until she gets both of them back.

  Moving quickly, he slips back under Gryffin's arm. He meets Lucan's eyes as he adjusts his grip. Lucan glances at Gryffin and shakes his head briskly. Roman doesn't ne
ed him to explain. Gryffin is deteriorating in front of his eyes. He's not going to survive being moved much longer.

  12

  ULTAR

  Gryffin shouts as his leg gives way, dropping him to his knee with a painful jolt. 'Fuck. I'm done.'

  Roman crouches down in front of him. 'No you're not. C'mon. Get up.'

  'My leg is fucked and you can't carry me. I'm too heavy. I want you both to go.'

  'Not happening, sir,' Lucan replies. 'All this will be for nothing if they get you. Get up, sir.'

  Using the wall and the assistance of the two men, Gryffin finally gets up, but he can't help them much. He can barely see straight let alone put one foot in front of the other.

  'Don’t move!'

  The woman's voice brings them to a stop.

  'Turn around.'

  They do as they're told and face the cyborg. She's alone, for now at least, and is pointing her gun at Gryffin's chest. The woman takes a step closer, her purple eyes targeting Gryffin. 'Put him down.'

  Roman slowly releases his hold on Gryffin. He slumps against the wall but manages to stay on his feet. Gryffin summons energy from somewhere and straightens. He takes a step forward, putting himself between the cyborg and Roman. 'I'll go with you. No fight. Let them walk away.'

  'Gryffin. What the hell are you doing?'

  He ignores his father and firms his stance, willing the brace around his dud leg to support him a little longer.

  The cyborg ignores him and tilts her head to the side. She must be telling the others where she is. 'I'm to bring you all back.'

  'That's not happening. Let them go and I'll come with you.'

  She fires, catching Gryffin in the side. He grunts and has to steady himself against the wall. 'You can survive that. If I shoot them they won't. Stop delaying and walk. All of you.'

  The next few seconds go by in a blur for Gryffin. His body was fucked before he was shot, but the blood loss isn't doing him any favours, making him sluggish and drowsy.

  Roman and Lucan attack her before he gets a chance to react. Someone fires at the same time he is dropped by another body barrelling into him. Pain explodes from his body as it hits the ground. He hears a gun going off again, but thanks to whacking his head off the wall he can't tell which direction it comes from.

  As the ringing in his ears dies away he looks up. Roman is lying across him, pinning him to the ground - not that he'd be able to get up anyway.

  'All clear,' Lucan calls from somewhere further along the tunnel.

  Roman looks down at him. 'Sorry about that. You okay?'

  Gryffin nods. 'Yeah. Head fucking hurts, but it did anyway.'

  Roman smiles and pushes off Gryffin. He slumps back against the wall and winces. It takes a few seconds for the blood to pool on his chest from the wound. Gryffin pulls back Roman's jacket and curses. 'Why the fuck didn't you say you were hit?'

  'I just realised.'

  'Lucan! Get over here. Why did you do that?'

  'I wasn't keen on her taking you. Seemed like a good idea at the time.' He laughs and blood dribbles out of his mouth.

  'I can survive being shot. You can't.'

  'I wasn't going to let them take you. Not again.'

  Gryffin pulls off his t-shirt and holds it against the wound on Roman's chest. Lucan drops down beside Roman and sucks in a breath. 'Oh shit.'

  Roman looks up at Lucan. 'Get... get him out... of here.'

  'But—'

  'Now, Lucan.'

  Gryffin shakes his head. 'You touch me Lucan and I'll fucking kill you. I'm not leaving him behind.'

  Roman smiles and lifts his head off the wall. 'You need to get away from here. There'll be more coming. Lucan can't get us both out. You've got... to go.'

  Gryffin shakes his head again. 'No. Lucan, I'm ordering you to get him out of here. Now, Lucan!'

  'Sir. Gryffin.' He turns his head towards Lucan. 'He's not going to make it. He's right. We have to go.'

  'And I said no. We're not leaving him. Nomad don't leave people behind.'

  'I can't help both of you.'

  'Then go and get help. I'll stay here with him.'

  Roman grabs Gryffin's arm and squeezes it. 'Daegan.'

  His original name meant nothing to him until that moment. For some reason, hearing it from his father hits him like a kick to the gut. Gryffin shakes his head. 'I can't leave you.'

  'Yes, Daegan. You can. Don't let them take you again. Got... to survive.'

  His eyes close and Gryffin shakes him. 'Don't die. Not because of me. Don't you dare die because of me!'

  'Proud of you, son.'

  Roman's arm goes limp and falls to the ground. Gryffin shakes him gently. 'Roman. Wake up.'

  Lucan rests his hand on Gryffin's shoulder, but Gryffin shoves it away. 'Get off me. Roman? Roman! Dad!'

  Lucan crouches down beside Gryffin. 'He's gone, sir. We really need to go.'

  Gryffin stares at the body of his father. He can't be dead. Life can't be that shitty, can it? He's only just gotten used to having a father. And he was starting to like it. He places his fingers on the side of Roman's neck, knowing he's not going to find a pulse.

  They need to go. The commander in him knows they have to go, but he can't convince his body to move. There's no way he wants to leave his father behind like this.

  Gryffin looks over at the cyborg lying on the ground a few feet from him. He doesn't bother trying to get to his feet. Ignoring the wound in his side, he drags himself over to her. He peers in her artificial eye and smiles when he sees the inner workings spin as she focuses on him.

  'I hope whoever is controlling you is listening. You fucked up today. By killing him you've put yourself on my list and now I'm going to kill every single one of you.' Gryffin lifts her gun and aims it at her eyepiece, then fires.

  ULTAR

  Terra keeps low as she pushes through the undergrowth. In the distance she can hear Ares' engines fading as she moves away. Desyl and three Nomad stop in front of her. The exit from the tunnels is just up ahead. She's hoping Roman, Lucan, and Gryffin will head this way but it's a gamble at best. One Desyl was more than happy to take.

  Terra keys in the code and pulls back as the door opens. Desyl raises his gun and steps around the corner. He relaxes and lowers his gun when he sees Lucan on the other side. 'You good?'

  'Not really.'

  'Where's the Captain?'

  He steps aside and Terra pushes past Desyl. She drops to the ground beside Gryffin and places her fingers against his neck. 'He's barely got a pulse. What happened? Where's Roman?'

  'He took a bullet meant for Gryffin. I'm sorry, Terra. He's gone.'

  She hears the words, but it takes a few seconds for them to sink in. 'He's dead?'

  'Gryffin wouldn't leave him. I had to stun him. I didn't have a choice.' Lucan looks over his shoulder and curses. 'We've got company heading our way. Get him out of here.'

  Desyl and three Nomad pull Gryffin out of the tunnel and towards the shuttle. Terra looks back down the tunnel. 'Is Roman close?'

  Whatever answer Lucan was going to give never materialises as the side of his head disappears. Terra screams as he falls to the ground where Gryffin was lying less than a minute ago. Desyl appears behind her and grabs her around the waist. Terra struggles against him as he hauls her out of the tunnel and towards the waiting transport.

  ‘We can’t leave them.’

  ‘They’re dead, Terra. Nothing we can do for them.’

  She loses sight of Lucan’s body as Desyl manhandles her into the back of the transport and slams his hand against the hatch control. He unceremoniously dumps her on one of the benches and sits in the pilot’s seat.

  Terra stares down at Gryffin’s prone body on the floor at her feet and then at the blood on her hands. Lucan’s blood. It’s on her face too. She can feel it on her skin, taste it on her lips.

  Terra gets to her feet and pulls open the compartments above her head.

  ‘What the fuck are you doing?’ Ryder
asks as she empties supplies onto the floor.

  ‘I need to clean this off me. His blood everywhere. I need to wash it off.’

  The ship lifts off the ground and swings around sharply, bringing them over the tops of the trees. Terra braces herself against the wall as she continues her search. Ryder shoves her back on the bench and empties a bottle of water down her face. He quickly wipes her skin then deals with her hands. ‘

  ‘All gone. You okay?’

  She nods, unable to get any words out.

  ‘Good. Now sit the fuck down and let me deal with Gryffin.’

  Terra nods again then wipes her tears away. She got Lucan killed. Why had she delayed? She should have gone straight back to the ship with Gryffin.

  Terra glances at Gryffin's chest. Something's not right. It's not moving. ‘Ryder! He's not breathing.'

  ‘I know. Shut up so I can keep him alive.’ Ryder pulls the monitoring device from the first aid pack behind him and carefully inserts the probe in one of the ports on Gryffin's chest implant. Ryder taps in a few commands then curses loudly. 'We gotta move, Desyl. His implants are fucked. Nothing is in sync. Must have messed them up when he blasted the place.'

  'How long?' Desyl asks, while hitting the controls, forcing as much power as he can from the engines.

  'Minutes.' Ryder hooks a small terminal to the chest implant then throws an oxygen mask at Terra. 'Stick that on him. I can override his programming, get him breathing, but it'll only work for six minutes tops. After that I'll damage what's left of the implant.'

  Desyl doesn't respond. There's nothing to say. Terra tries to keep her hand steady on the mask as Ryder closely monitors his improvisation.

  Terra is so fixated on the mask, she doesn't realise they've docked until the ramp lowers and a gurney is wheeled in. Pushed out of the way, Terra can only watch as Gryffin is whisked away to a room at the side of the main engine.

  Desyl shouts orders at whoever he left in control of Ares and the ship accelerates away from Ultar. Terra ignores the guttural growl of Ares' mighty engines beside her. Right now, her sole focus is on Gryffin and how he appears to be dead. It takes her a few seconds to realise they've stopped beside the stasis pod that housed Gryffin's mother for years. 'Why did you bring that?'